Until Jan. 1, 2013, the Vehicle Code
(excerpted below) required the posting of warning
signs like the one depicted below, "visible
to traffic approaching from all directions" at each camera-equipped intersection, or
at all the main entrances to town. Most cities posted enough signs but
not all signs complied with the CalTrans
specifications - particularly as to the minimum size
of 30 x 42 inches.

CVC 21455.5. (a) The limit line, the intersection,
or a place designated in Section 21455, where a driver
is required to stop, may be equipped with an automated
enforcement system if the governmental agency
utilizing the system meets all of the following
requirements: (1) Identifies the system by signs that
clearly indicate the system's presence and are visible
to traffic approaching from all directions, or posts
signs at all major entrances to the city, including,
at a minimum, freeways, bridges, and state highway
routes. (Former version of CVC 21455.5(a).)

After Jan. 1, 2013, a new law (see SB 1303 on the
Legis page) requires that there be a sign near each
camera - and there no longer is the option to post
the entrances to town.

Here are some of the other laws about road signs.

CVC 21400. The Department of Transportation shall,
after consultation with local agencies and public
hearings, adopt rules and regulations prescribing
uniform standards and specifications for all official
traffic control devices placed pursuant to this code,
including, but not limited to, stop signs, yield
right-of-way signs, speed restriction signs...

CVC 21401. (a) Except as provided in Section 21374,
only those official traffic control devices that
conform to the uniform standards and specifications
promulgated by the Department of Transportation shall
be placed upon a street or highway...

CVC 21465. No person shall place, maintain, or
display upon, or in view of, any highway any
unofficial sign, signal, device, or marking, or any
sign, signal, device, or marking which purports to be
or is an imitation of, or resembles, an official
traffic control device or which attempts to direct the
movement of traffic or which hides from view any
official traffic control device.

CVC 21467. Every prohibited sign, signal, device, or
light is a public nuisance, and the Department of
Transportation, members of the California Highway
Patrol, and local authorities are hereby authorized
and empowered without notice to remove the same, or
cause the same to be removed, or the Director of
Transportation, the commissioner, or local authorities
may bring an action as provided by law to abate such
nuisance.

If "your" city has
undersized signs and you are going to raise that issue
in court, you will need to be prepared to deal with
the following sort of reasoning by the judge: During
a Sept. 2003 trial of a ticket issued before Culver
City's March 2003 posting of full-sized signs, Comm.
Amado ruled that (overall) size doesn't matter - since
the picture of the signal and the lettering on the
then-undersized signs were the same size as those
required for the full-sized signs, the fact that the
overall dimensions were too small would not
matter. Judges in other towns may see it the
same way - or differently, of course.

Culver City: During the Aug. 5, 2004 trial of
a ticket issued at Sepulveda / Machado in Culver City
the defendant pointed out that there was no warning
sign on the large driveway (for a housing complex)
that makes up the 4th side of that intersection.
Comm. Amado ruled that it is not required to post
signs facing traffic coming from private property.

CalTrans Letter

Here is an August 2003 CalTrans letter
giving their official position about sign
requirements.If you want to use
this letter in court, you'll need to call CalTrans and
get them to mail you a paper copy with a signature in
ink. Such a letter isn't hearsay when it's from
a government official. It comes under an
exception called official writings. The
exception is necessary so that high government
officials don't have to spend all their time
testifying about government policy in courts all over
the place.

STATE OF
CALIFORNIA
BUSINESS,TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING AGENCY
GRAY DAVIS, Governor

I am responding to your telephone call about the
PHOTO ENFORCED (SR56) sign. I hope the following
information will be helpful.

The California Department of Transportation
(Department) is responsible for developing
standards and specifications for traffic signs.
For the last 5 years I have been in charge of the
Signs and Work Zones Branch, which designs
official traffic signs for use on all public
roadways in the State of California.

California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 21400
provides that the Department shall, after
consultation with local agencies and public
hearings, adopt rules and regulations prescribing
uniform standards and specifications for all
official traffic control devices placed pursuant
to the provisions of the CVC. CVC Section 21401
provides that only those official traffic control
devices that conform to the uniform standards and
specifications promulgated by the Department shall
be placed upon a street or highway.

In keeping with the requirements of CVC Section
21400 the Department established the California
Traffic Control Devices Committee to consult with
local agencies. The Committee is comprised of
representatives of State and local governments.
The Committee holds public hearings at least 3
times during each calendar year. For more
information, visit the California Traffic Control
Device Committee’s homepage at:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/signtech/newtech/index.htm

The PHOTO ENFORCED (SR56) sign was adopted by the
Department on September 5, 1996, after
consultation with the California Traffic Control
Devices Committee and public hearings. The adopted
specification for the SR56 is enclosed. It is the
official standard of the Department. It has not
changed since it was originally signed. The SR56
specification and other sign specifications are
available for purchase at:

The style, font, size and spacing of letters and
numerals on traffic signs conform to the
requirements specified in the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) publication entitled
"Standard Alphabets for Highway Signs and Pavement
Markings," which is available for purchase from
the FHWA web site
at:http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/ser-pubs.htm

The Department and local agencies have some
flexibility in the size of signs. However, signs
must be conspicuous and legible to drivers. In
Section 4-01.12 of the Department’s 1996 Traffic
Manual it states, “Larger sizes may be used where
greater legibility or emphasis is needed. Special
signs or large signs are prescribed for freeways
and expressways. Under special conditions such as
alleys, limited parkway widths, parking
facilities, parks, etc., the use of approved sizes
smaller than standard size signs may be justified
based on engineering judgement. When sign sizes
are changed, standard shapes and colors shall be
used and standard proportions shall be retained
insofar as practicable.” The 1996 Traffic Manual
is available for viewing on the Department’s web
site at:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/signtech/signdel/trafficmanual.htm

Cities and counties, not the Department, are
responsible for installing signs on local streets
and roads. CVC Section 21100 (d) allows local
authorities to adopt rules and regulations for
regulating traffic by means of official traffic
control devices meeting the requirements of CVC
Section 21400. CVC Section 21351 allows local
authorities to place and maintain such official
traffic control devices.

Thank you for writing. I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Greg Edwards, Chief

Highway Signs and Work Zones Branch

(916) 654-3507

Enclosures:

Signs for Right Turns?

There is no
requirement to post signs at right turns saying, "Stop
Before Turning" or something like that.
If there was such a requirement, there would have
to be four such signs at every signalized intersection
in California. So, the requirement is simply
something you are supposed to know, and is part of the
written driving test.
If a city decided to make up their own signs saying
"Stop Before Turning" or "After Stop, Right Turn
Permitted on Red," they would be in violation of CVC
21401 and 21465 (above).

If you could swear that you
have seen such a sign, you may have been to South
San Francisco, or Millbrae.

At an intersection
where rolling right turns are a major safety problem and
camera enforcement has failed to reduce the violations,
and at those few locations where it's necessary to
prevent all right turns during the red, the city
should install a Blank Out sign. Blank Out signs
are large (24" x 24" or bigger) electrically-powered
signs whose messages are not visible when the power is
off. Thus, they provide the ability to prohibit
right turns during selected portions of the signal
cycle.
This Blank Out sign has the added advantage that its
message is not in English - see Why Not in
Greek, below.

( Please note that these are guidelines and compliance
is not mandatory; in the Introduction to
the Guidelines, it says, "Although not a regulatory
requirement, the guideline is intended to provide
critical information for State and local agencies on
relevant aspects of red light camera systems in order to
promote consistency, proper implementation, and
operation..." )

Signs warning motorists that red light cameras
are being used are typically required by law or
ordinance, but whether required or not, should
be posted as part of the driver awareness and
education process. These warning signs may
be placed in the following locations at
photo-enforced intersections:·In
advance of photo-enforced intersections.· At
photo-enforced intersections, typically on the
far side traffic signal pole.· On all
approaches into an area where red light camera
systems are used for red light running.

Warning signs placed on all approaches into
an area, while used to satisfy legal
requirements in some jurisdictions, are
appropriate as supplemental warning signs but
not as the primary warning for motorists.
Advance warning signs should be
installed at photo-enforced intersections.

All advance warning signs should be clearly
visible and compliant with the MUTCD (17).

California has adopted its own version of the
Federal guidance applicable to sign placement. My
detailed discussion is at:

We have a lot of tourists in California, and due to
the State's size and general lack of a public
transportation system many of them rent cars and
drive.

For those not fluent in English, the
CalTrans-approved "Photo Enforced" warning signs might
look like this:

...and South San Francisco's "After Stop, Right Turn
Permitted on Red" sign must look like this:

The two signs above were made up by
highwayrobbery.net. We are sure that in Greece
and Mexico, the warning signs use international
symbols that can be understood by all nationalities.

Here is a sign not made up by
highwayrobbery.net.

Actual Blank Out Sign on Canoga Avenue in LA

This Blank Out sign has been set up to flash, in an
effort to prevent motorists from making right turns on
red across Metro's Orange Line busway in Los
Angeles. But it hasn't been effective, probably
because it depends upon the motorist's understanding of
an English word and also fails to tell the driver what
to do, or not to do (don't turn right).Further, it is an unapproved sign (not listed in
CalTrans' MUTCD), so exposes Metro and the City of LA to
liability in the event of an accident.